Direct a-Selenation of Aldehydes and Ketones

Wang and co-workers recently developed an efficient strategy for the a-selenation of aldehydes and ketones using the proline derivatives as catalysts under mild conditions, the products were obtained in good yield (Eq. 10) [35]. 

Even if chiral organocatalysts were used, the authors did not focus on the development of an asymmetric version of the reaction. 

These studies were made possible by a grant from The Danish National Research Foundation. M.M. thanks EU HMPT-CT-2001-00317 for financial support. 

1 For recent reviews on organocatalysis including, for example, C-C and C-heteroatom bond formation, see  

number 8, special edition devoted to asymmetric organocatalysis (e) M. Marigo, K.A. Jorgensen, Chem. Commun. 2006, 2001. 

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